Chelsea vs Liverpool combined XI: Carabao Cup final starting team

Defensive midfielder: N’Golo Kante, Chelsea

N’Golo Kante’s nagging injuries mean he often gets underrated by football fans nowadays. The Frenchman has not been the same player he was during his Leicester/early Chelsea years where he was the ironman in the middle of the park. Now, Tuchel has to be more careful about when selecting the fun-loving France International. However, a recent Man of the Match performance against Lille in the Champions League—amongst other class outings—has reminded supporters of just how special the defensive midfielder is. It doesn’t feel right to preface statements exclaiming Kante’s brilliance with justifications such as “on his day” or “when fit”. This is because when he’s on the pitch, it’s usually his day and he’s fit more often than not when playing.

Kante thrives on the biggest stages. Many may disregard the Carabao Cup as the third-most important domestic trophy for Premier League clubs. While nobody is going to really refute that claim, this bit of silverware matters to Kante. He can become the second/third player to win every trophy possible with the Blues with a victory, where he’d join the elite company of Cesar Azpilicueta (who has already accomplished the feat) and Alonso.

Central midfielder: Mateo Kovacic, Chelsea

Earlier I claimed that “Silva is quite possibly Chelsea’s Player of the Year thus far.” The reason I included the phrase “quite possibly” is because of this man, Mateo Kovacic. The Croatian looks to have finally gotten fully settled in west London as he’s becoming a better all-around midfielder. He’s developed a great relationship early on with Romelu Lukaku and that’s helped the Blues out tremendously, despite the striker’s struggles. Kovacic has seven goal contributions this season, including an absolute worldie of a strike against the Reds last time out. This was the toughest decision in midfield to make due to the talent in the Liverpool midfield, but Kovacic is borderline world class, so he’s the one who gets into this team.

Central midfielder: Mason Mount, Chelsea

Mason Mount gets the nod in the final midfield spot, rounding out a trio of Chelsea players in the middle of the park. He’s played out in a wide attacking role a lot of the time under Tuchel due to the fact he’s not a deep-lying playmaker. Therefore, the German manager has found a home for him in attack. Nevertheless, it’s important to remember that Mount is naturally an attacking midfielder—and a damn good one at that. He’s the most important player the Blues have and he’s also their leading scorer in the Premier League, which more than justifies his inclusion.